Weed Man CEO Jennifer Lemcke on the $426M Franchise Journey

Weed Man CEO Jennifer Lemcke took over the family business from her father in 2020. Last year, the franchise network generated more than $426 million in revenue, she told Business Insider in an as-told-to essay.

It was not a path she wanted. Lemcke was in 10th grade when her father bought a Weed Man franchise. The family moved from Toronto to Ottawa. She hated the idea of pulling weeds for a living. Her father swears there was a family meeting about the decision. She does not remember one.

In Ottawa, she settled in anyway. She picked up shifts and odd jobs for her father to buy a car and pay for insurance. Money motivated her, even then. The family business was not her plan. She studied political science in college. She worked full-time in telecommunications. A mentor there pushed her to think entrepreneurially.

Her father kept buying Weed Man territories. He started buying nicer cars and bigger houses. That changed her mind. At 21, she and her now-husband purchased their own Weed Man franchise. They became investors with her father. Her uncle followed. Friends followed. The business was a family affair at its core.

Around 2000, her father's ownership group bought the American rights to Weed Man. Lemcke was chief operating officer. The role meant constant travel. She had three kids at home. When they were sick, she gave them Tylenol and sent them to school. She could not miss meetings. The kids organized their own rides for sports. A nanny stayed even through high school. She questioned whether she was doing the right thing as a working mom.